Overhead door control for a closed vehicle body



April 5, 1938.

C. H. CLARK EI' AL Filed sept. 17, 1956 f: "f4 fiv. '5 Z5 f Li: ggglfgx i 6 5E 57 f 57 59 a 34\ \59 l l 4. l \55 D 4l 50 43 E Z. `l"Q /452 4 'S" 'VV/2 15/ 41 fr@ N 14x. 56% A49 18 pentors l 32C H C 5p HHRLES HRK o'scrr C, /L/ o1. 1./5 712%.

AAAr/-z attorneg Patented Apr. 5, 1938 OVERHEAD DOOR CONTROL FOR VEHICLE BODY A cLosED Charles H. Clark and Robert C. Hollister,

Cortland, N. Y.

Application September 4 Claims.

Our invention pertains to an Overhead door, particularly as applied to the rear of an automotive van Or similar closed vehicle body, although certain of its more novel underlying principles nd application to other purposes such as garage doors or the like. l

As an exemplific'ation, the present disclosure will primarily be directed to a tail end door 'of such bodystructure to command the entrance Or exit to the van interior. door may be of the sO-called jack-knifeconstructionfhaving its upper marginal edge sus. pended by a master hinge fromvthe transverse deck beam Or lintel of a suitable doorway. Such door preferably comprises a pair of linked panels of which the lower element is arranged to fold upon an opened upper panel. When closed, the suspended door weight causes both panels to drop flatwise toward the cooperating jambs, said door being yieldably held' against its jambs by' supplementary retaining means.

type including a non-extensible lifting bar facilitates swinging the door panels into three different positions with respect to the master hinge, namely: (a) closed Or depending position, (b) horizontal or Outrigger position, and (c) erect or upturned loading position, Said bar serves to counterbalance the lifted door vbetweenclosed and Outrigger positionsand for automotive purposes, is spring loaded in preference to an equivalent suspended weight.

The present style of overhead door is also designed to swing erect with respect to the deck beam level to afford themaximum of head room under such lintel while a van is being loaded.

A massive door of this kind is somewhat unwieldyY to handle except when substantially counterbalanced in Outrigger position. In Order to prevent encroaching upon loadable van space, we preferably but not necessarily, locate our resilient counterbalancing means beneath the floor level and extend one end of a door lifting-bar through the floor into cooperative engagement with such spring means. When loaded from a platform on a level with the van floor, said door when raisedl into erected position bythe manipulation of our lifting bar, provides for unobstructed access into the vehicle doorway and thereby procures a clear gangway along the platform that shallbe kept free from any overhead barrier likely to interfere with a speedy loading of the Opened van.

The instant improvements constitute a continuation in part over our copending application, Serial No. 14.507 as filed April 3, 1935-and Our sectionalized 11, 1936, serial no. 101,275

which prior disclosure has herein ybeenv equipped with remote controls that permit'of automatically opening Our tail end door of a closed vehicle body from the drivers seat, To this end, we vpref- Y erably resort to a controllable fluid actuated piston or the like pressure applying means adapted to exert a predominating thrust'in a direction crosswiseof the lifting barfaxis while th'e aforesaid .resilient means applies' a door coupterbal ancing pressure lengthwiseY of said bar. By virtue of this arrangement, our toggle linkage when forced through a certain dead center position, is enabled to thrust both closed door sections snug'- ly against and along their jambs so as to afford g a rattle free and virtually weatherproofk joint.

When said piston is Operative 'in opening -the door, our toggle linkage is lforcibly vcarried through itsdead center position by said'piston and continued outwardly to swing the door into its Outrigger position, where it may still be sub- .stantially counterbalanced and upheld by theA lifting bar without reliance on piston thrust. I

A reversalrof the piston movement positively closes the door and reestablishes its sealing thrust against the door jams. Our remote control may comprise a manipulative valve adapted to subject one or the'other ends of a doubleacting cylinder to vacuum influence, the vacuum source then being preferably lodged in a suitable engine manifold commonlyr associated with'a self-propelled vehicle. An equivalent electric motor or the like power driven means may like' wise beresorted to. y 1

A piston rod is pivotally attached to the interior of the upper'panel and serves to bodily swing the suspended door about its master hinge. Provision has been made to automaticallyfold the linked lower panel upon the upper panel While the door is being raised into Outrigger position. Such collapsed panels may herein be lfur'- ther raised to a' relatively higher'elevation by disconnecting certain elements of Our actuating gear and then bodily raising the bottom end of said lifting rod into registry with a stop shelf whichreleasably retains the folded door panels in their upturned loading position. If desired, the lower panel may be similarly manipulated without recourse to any automatic folding means. In either event, the elevation Of'a pair of partially collapsed panels in the manner herein practiced. shifts their combined center of gravity toward the pintle Of themaster hinge so as to materially reduce the counterbalancing effort required to sustain the door in Outrigger position. Such counterbalancing effort also correthat can readily'be incorporated into a vehicle body, :garage or other doorway at moderate 'first vcost without requiring extensive changes in the `prevailing housing structure thereof. Disclosed herein :are valso other 'features Aof organization which facilitate the manufacture 'and more particularly adapt such idoor improvements for industrialvpurp'oses, all of :which Awill hereinafter be, more explicitly set forth. Reference is had to the accompanying one sheet of drawings which is illustrative of a certain embodiment Vof our devices, and in which Fig. 1 represents an elevational rear end view of a vehicle body equipped with oui` improved sectional overhead door, this being A.here shown raised in Outrigger position.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken :along 2-2 of Fig. 1 and in which the door ,panels .are

depictedy in full-lined closure position while alternative elevated'panel positions are indicated in dotted outline.

Referring now 'indetail tothe drawing, :this disclosure is representative of a closable van. body,

preferably comprising :a pair of metal's'heathed side wallssuch as. lil and a transverse top -wall Such sheaths may be mounted .upon a .body framework comprising spaced rear corner, iposts or vertical door jambs -'|2 `thatwmay .be rabbeted `to'constitnte an inset .door ledge. Adjacent .up- :right side -ribs such .as `I3 yare `also this latticed body framework. Cross rib members .such as the Arear sill I4 and the 'lintel or deck beam -|5 maybe similarly rabbeted to provide foran inset endless ledge that circumscribes the doorway. When closed, .the exterior .door surface then falls into yflush alignment with the tail end of the van toirnpart a neat trim thereto. The body framework may further include the usual side sills such as I6 mounting a floor `board Il thereon and which sills may rest vin :a'conventional manner upon 'a pair of automotive chassis channels |8.

Our sectional door is provided with ya rigid at upperk panel 20 of which a marginal edge maybe pivotally suspended to the vdeck beam l5 by a continuous -piano or other type of master hinge 2|. A weather strip Yfashioned from sponge rubber or the like, may be seated around the endless jamb ledge of our doorway.

A winglike lower panel 23 may in turn, be linked to the transverse free edge of said upper panel by the secondary hinges 24. Such pivotal connection is herein reversely disposed with respect -to our prior disclosure so that an inward pressing of the upper panel toward its jambs will positively seat the depending .lower panel. For long hauls, either of these closed panels may be latched or bolted in place, although our door actuating means when properly set, alone `suiiice toretain the door against inadvertent opening.

This sectional overhead door is designed to be swung outwardly and upwardly away from said jambs about its master hinge 23 into either the Outrigger or erect positions, respectively represented in dotted outline .in Fig. 2. To facilitate the liftingof such door, the interior face of the upper panel carries an outstanding fulcrum bracket 25 of which the demountable pivot or toggle pin is designated 26. Said `pin engages one end of a, lifting bar 2l of finite length whose depending end portion may extend downwardly Vcomprised 4in in rsubstantial parallelism with the .closed door. The lower bar extremity or toe is preferably carried beneaththe-fioor level as shown and may be lrestrained against lateral tilt around the fulcrum26 by -a slotted guide plate 28. Said plate `may be provided vwith an offset stop lug or shelf- `like ledge 29 whose purpose will presently be defined. As .indicated in Fig. 1, it .is preferred tocmploy dual control yrods, respectivelyV located closely adjacent to the respective body sides so as to conserve loading space and Vobviate van unbalanced lift upon the door.

A comparatively heavy door counterbalancing Athrust may be exertedlengthwise of said lifting bar by a correspondingly massive laminated leaf spring or asimilar supplementary thrust applyingagency"3|l, preferablyinstalled beneath the floor level as shown. 'Such spring may however, be disposedabove the Vfloor level and wholly with- .V inL the Vvehicle interior, such 'for example as the substitute'coil spring 3| depicted in dotted outline.

Intermediate its ends,the\cited leaf spring may be pivotallyy supported upon a channel cross rod 32. v,'-Ihefor-ward leaf end may rest `against ra cross strap 233 or the llikeabutment, while the free rearward leaf `end 4operatively engages the toe extremity ofthe depending lifting bar2'l. The finite overall length .given to this bar issuch that when operatively interposed between the agency S30 and the toggle fulcrum 26,said agency will maintain a follow-up thrust component' lengthwise lof the baraxis while the .upper door 'between its closed and Outrigger center position designated 34, which subjects the-k` Yspring `30 to maximum deflection.

After the toggle pin 26 passes inwardly beyond n such `critical point, saidgsprlng will ycause the upper ypanel to be snugly thrust'against its jambs. .'Byvirtue of the interlocked disposition of the secondary hinge 24, wise retainedV in closed position.

`I-n` order `to vforcibly -open the .door as a unit -against-suchfclosure thrust, we provide for suitable remotely controlledactuating means.A The presentk disclosure schematically embodies ypiston Athelowerp'anel will be liken meansi'or such Vpurpose that vmay be intermit tently Areciprocated by `motive fiuid. As an nstance, a separate aircylinder 35 for each lifting barmay' be equipped with demountable headsof which one `such is provided with a trunnion 36 supported by the deck andthe other head has astuffing box .31. A piston 38 cooperates with a rod 39 of vwhich the freeendmay transversely engage the lifting bar at its fulcum point 26, as shown. K

Each cylinder end visl equipped with separate feed tubes such as 40 and 4| Ywhich respectively lead to a. `centralized control valve casing 42. A valve port 43 commands .the head end tube 40 andan yopposite port 44 commands the crank end tube 4|. As will be understood, these ports may be spacedly disposed about a casing bore in which is mounted the rotatable control valve or two way cock 45 having a manipulative lever 46. Said vcock may be provided with a vent port 50 that communicates with vthe atmosphere and serves to break a previously establish'edwvacuum in the .air cylinder.

A reserve tank 41 may be installed in the manner schematically indicated in `Fig. 2. This tank is in turn, piped at .48 to the engine manifold (not shown) or the like vacuum source. A

check valve 49 may be inserted in the pipe'- line .48 not only to prevent loss of any vacuum that mayr have been stored in said` tanks, -b`ut"fr`on'1 time to time exhaust the tank down tothe limit of vacuum that Amay prevail in the manifold. Such charged tank is preferably located beneath the body floor and serves to actfate the piston in the event the vehicle engine is'shut down.

Said valve together Vwith its leverl aref-intended" to be installed inthe vehicle cab within'eas'y reach of the driver.

Assuming the overhead door tofbe closed and its actuating gear to stand in the Fig. 2 position, then when the manipulative lever 46 is shifted into its rightward full-lined position, this will place the tank 41in communication with the` head end tube 40; This in turn exerts a pull in the piston rod that yeldably Yholds the door panels shut becausev of equalized atmospheric airr that has. been fed into the crank endrtube" vent port`50. Such pisthrough the registering ton eifort is supplemented by a similar 'closing' thrust moment afforded by the uplifted bar 21.

- The predominating magnitude of the door closure effort supplied by said piston may be such that it becomes immaterial whether the bar com" tributes any substantial share thereto.v In such instances, the closed door is adequately retained,

although ,the fulcrum 26 may'not be carried-inwardly beyond its dead center position.

When the lever 46 is lreversely shifted `into its dotted position, a vacuum will then -be set up in the crank end of the cylinder, which puts the piston rod under compression and brings about an opening movement of the upper panel around its master hinge. In order to shorten the required stroke, the piston rod is operatively connected to the upper rather than to the lower panel, the resultant rod thrust being purposely directed crosswise of the lifting bar axis.

When a toggle closure is employed, the air cylinder initially causes the free end of the leaf spring 30 to be depressed against a resilient counter moment. After the common fulcrum pin 26 has been forced through its dead center position 34, said spring will then serve as a counterv balancing agency that contributes to the lifting of said door toward its outrigger position. Such contributory effort permits of using a relatively small air cylinder bore, this being particularly of importance when working with a manifold vacuum whose mean intensity is likely to be of a relatively low order. By its use however, no special air compressor or oil pump is required to actuate the piston under remote control.

After the piston is fully urged toward its crank end, the upper panel of our overhead door will stand in its Outrigger po'sition shown in dotted outline. The linked lower panel may be allowed to freely depend from its secondary hinges \24 and then be manipulatively shifted and latched out of the way into overlying relation to `one face of the upper panel. It will be observed that while the upper panel is being elevated, the lower panel swings inwardly toward the master hinge pintle and thereby reduces the counterbalancing effort required by the spring 30.

As Aan alternative, said lower panel may also.

Y be hooked up to automatically collapse upon v l i 3 jamb I2. When these pulleys are appropriately. located, one cableendy maybe clamped at 56 to the interiorface of the lower panel and the opposite cable end yhooked to the upper .panel as at 5l. f This cable system israrranged to automa/tically 'draw the swinging end of the lower panel forwardly toward 'the upperV panel when vvthe latter is openedl and 'to' allow said lower panel to dro;` alignedly against Athe door jambs when the` upper panel assumes its closure position. In such 10 closed .d oor position, both linked Vpanels will be snuglylpressed and retained toward said jambs because of the described secondary hinge disposition.

In orderl'to more adequately'clearlourover- 15 tion may beaccomplished in several different ways. We prefer to provide for asimple detachable coup1ing59 in the piston rod 39. By breaking this coupling and dis'engaging the cable .hook 51, the upper' panel is made free toswing-about lts master hingeV into the fully` upturned position,- indicated in dotted and dashed outline, the com-v bined'pan'el heightvbe'ing kept relatively low. 2 Whenthe collapsed door panels are thus raised manually, the `fulcrum pin 2s still remains in place andY brings about al corresponding lift of the lower toe`end ofthe non-extensible bar 21. The disposition of 'the shelflike ledge 29 is such that the raised vbar Ytoe end is adapted to rest thereon and iixedly hold our door in itsV erect position. `An equivalent` abutment 2.9 may alsocooperate with a flxed'lug disposed intermediate the bar length. If preferred, the lifting bar 26 may also be made extexsible in the manner more fully dened in our co After loading the van, the bar toe hereof may be kicked out of engagement from its ledge and dropped back upon the underlying leaf spring. By again hooking up the cable system and engaging the piston rod coupling 59, our door actuating mechanism will be 'operatively reestablished. A single non-extensible lifting baris herein made to serve as a combined dbor counterbalancing and retaining means tadapted to sustain the door -in two alternativevelevated positions. The present devices are wholly free from sway with a change in the rate of vehicle travel, also from\guide rods or cable suspended counter- `\;50 weights such as commonly form part of a conventional overhead door assembly. 'I'hel de-, mountable bracket pin 26 allows, one or both of l l the lifting bars '21 to be temporarily'removed in the event that the maximum of side clearance space should be needed for loading purposes. In addition, our air cylinders are intended to be kept close to theA deck so as not to -encroach duly upon effective loading space; if preferrec Vgear for overhead doors, it being understood that we reserve the right to incorporate equivalent means in anx of our illustrative embodiments, all without departing from the` spirit and scope of our invention heretofore described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

We claim: 'W n 1. A doorway including complementary vertical jambs and a'transversely disposed deck beam,

ending application. l

in combination with an overhead door'closing against said jambs and having a marginal edge hingedly suspended from the deck beam to allow of swinging the opened door away from both jambs into Outrigger and erected positions, a toggle linkage including a lifting. bar of finite length of which one end region is `operative1y attached to the interior face of said door and the'opposite toe end of which .bar is guided,and disconnectible counterbalancing means imposing a liftingthrust at the toe end region of said bar.

to countcrbalance the raised door in Outrigger position, there being abutment means associated with the toe end of said bar serving to uphold the door when raised into its erected position and which bar in the last namedfposition is Operatively disconnected 'from the counter-balancing means. f

2. A vehicle body of the enclosed type provided with a doorway including complementary.

vertical jambs and a transversely disposed deck beam, a sectionalized overhead door closing said 2,1 rasoi 3. A doorway including complementary vertical jambs and a transverselydisposed deck beam, in combination withV an overhead door closing against said jambs and having a marginal edge hingedly suspended from the deck beam to allow of Vswinging the opened door away from both jambs, actuating means comprising non-extensible lifting bar means of nite length of which one end region is( pivotaliy adjoined to a face of the door, and counterbalancing means imposing a thrust lengthwise of said bar to uphold the door in a partially open position, said lifting bar means including abutment means arranged to engage with and thereby uphold the Opposite end of said bar when the door is raised into a relatively higher elevation.

4. In a doorway including complementary vertical jambs and a transversely 'disposed deck v beam, the combination of a sectionalized overhead door closing said doorway and comprisingr linked upper andlower panels of which the lower panel is rendered foldabie toward a face of the upper panel, said door having a Vfree marginal edge hingedly suspended from the deck beam A to allowl of swinging. the door outwardly away' from both jambs into Outrigger position, a door counterbalancing agency, lifting bar means operatively interposed between one face of the upper panel and said agency, and flexible interconnecting means extending between said door and-a stationary point serving to automatically fold the lower panel toward the upper panel when said door is swung into Outrigger position.

CHARLESH. CLARK.

ROBERT C. HOLLISTER. 

